The 21-year-old midfielder made nine appearances for German club Dortmund last season and is north-east side Newcastle’s fifth signing since they returned to English football’s top flight.

«Mikel is a midfielder with talent, an Under-21 international for Spain. He’s a good size, has quality on the ball and he’s very, very focused and professional,» Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez told the club’s website.

«Hopefully he’s the kind of player we can improve a lot – he certainly has the mentality to get better and better,» added the Spaniard, a former Liverpool, Real Madrid  and Inter Milan manager.

Meanwhile Merino was looking forward to joining Newcastle

«I know it’s a great club and a really nice city,» he said. «I had different options but I think this is the right place for me to play.